North London Derby: Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur preview

The North London Derby takes center stage this weekend as Arsenal looks set to entertain their fiercest English rivals, Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Arsenal vs Tottenham would undoubtedly be the biggest fixture across world football this weekend irrespective of the circumstances surrounding it.

The two sides have failed to live up to expectations this season with Spurs failing to build on their promising performances during Project Restart and still lacking identity under Jose Mourinho, while Mikel Arteta has totally failed to find consistent results with the Arsenal team.

Tottenham are the only Premier League side currently to have managed wins in their last three matches and they head into this one as the team on form, however, we know how derbies can be full of surprises.

Team News

Arsenal have no player sidelined due to injury ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Premier League rivals Tottenham.

Emile Smith Rowe returned to the bench for Thursday’s Europa League win at Olympiakos and could be in contention to start.

Players such as Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka were substituted during the game but manager Mikel Arteta insisted afterwards they were all tactical changes.

Tottenham are sweating over the fitness of their inspirational captain and goalscorer Harry Kane but expect him to be available.

The striker was seen putting ice on his knee after coming off during Thursday’s Europa League game with Dinamo Zagreb, however, Jose Mourinho does not think it is a big issue.

Giovani Lo Celso is the only absentee as he recovers from a back niggle.

Stats and facts heading into the match (Backed by Opta)

• Arsenal are winless in their last five meetings with Tottenham in all competitions (D2 L3) – they’ve never gone six without a win against their north London rivals before.
• Tottenham are looking to win three consecutive league games against Arsenal for the first time since October 1974, while victory at the Emirates would give them their first league double over the Gunners since 1992-93.
• Arsenal have lost just two of their last 35 home league games against Spurs (W19 D14), going down 1-3 in May 1993 and 2-3 in November 2010.
• Only Everton vs Liverpool (24) has finished as a draw more often than Arsenal vs Tottenham in Premier League history (23). Meanwhile, the north London derby has seen both teams find the net more often than any other fixture in the Premier League (38 games).
• Arsenal have lost just one of their last seven home league games (W3 D3), though this was in their last such game against Manchester City. The Gunners have lost five home league games already this season, last losing more in a single campaign back in 1994-95 (6).
• Having won their first four away league games this season, Tottenham have won just two of their subsequent nine on the road in the Premier League (D3 L4). Meanwhile, having scored 11 goals in their opening two away league games this season (5-2 v Southampton, 6-1 v Man Utd), Spurs have netted just 10 in their last 11 away from home.
• No Arsenal manager has ever lost their first three north London derby matches (as Mikel Arteta could do with defeat here), while no Tottenham manager has ever won their first three such games (as José Mourinho could do).
• Tottenham striker Harry Kane is the all-time highest goalscorer in Arsenal v Tottenham matches in all competitions, netting 11 goals for Spurs against the Gunners in total.
• Arsenal strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have each scored nine Premier League goals this season, and could become the fifth/sixth players to reach double figures in each of their first four Premier League campaigns for the club, after Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Olivier Giroud.
• Tottenham’s Gareth Bale has had a hand in six goals in his last four Premier League appearances (4 goals, 2 assists). The Welshman has also netted five Premier League goals against Arsenal in his career, more than against any other side in the competition.

Prediction

The fact that Arsenal haven’t won a game in their last five meetings with Tottenham in all competitions is a bit of concern going into this one but they have showing in their last few games they can draw inspiration from almost nowhere.

Verdict: Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur